MANILA, Philippines – Ben&Ben is about to hit fans with another tearjerker – a song about a missed opportunity for love, inspired by a fan’s heartbreak story.

“Lifetime,” set to be released on June 4, was written by the band’s vocalists, Paolo and Miguel Guico, after they read a comment by a certain “Anne jou,” who shared her experience of being secretly in love with her best friend and finding out years later – just before his wedding – that he was once in love with her too.

In a Zoom press conference on June 1, Miguel shared that they were particularly inspired by the line from the fan’s comment that read “if only one of us dared to make a move, a lifetime was waiting for us.”

It’s not surprising that Ben&Ben would eventually release a song based on a fan’s story. The band regularly connects with their fans via social media – and apparently, they really enjoy reading the comments they get on their songs and music videos.

“Masaya siya minsan na ano eh, yung babasahin mo lang habang nakikinig ka dun sa song kasi ang daming kwento ng mga tao (It’s fun to just read their comments while listening to the song, because they have so many stories),” bassist Agnes Reoma shared.

“And the more you read people’s comments, pabago-bago din yung meaning ng song para samin (the song’s meaning also changes for us too), like things that we never knew the song could be about,” percussionist Andrew de Pano added.

“‘Yun yung point ng art in the first place (that’s the point of art in the first place), without the listeners and without the audience to give it meaning, it’s just a bunch of sounds but when it finds home sa lives ng listeners namin, that’s when it becomes a complete experience, so yeah we really do enjoy reading people’s comments,” he said.

Percussionist Toni Muñoz shared that they draw a lot of inspiration from fans, not just from the comments they leave, but also from how they are as a community.

“Sobra silang nakakainsipire, kung paano sila maging andyan para sa isa’t isa as a community, tapos ano din, minsan kasi siyempre may mga pagkakaiba-iba din ng opinions, makikita mo din sa kanila, pinapractice din kasi nila yung maayos na pakikinig,” Toni said.

(They’re very inspiring, how they are there for each other as a community, and also how even if they sometimes have different opinions, you can see how they listen well.)

“Lifetime” is the first one based on a fan’s experience – and Paolo said that it might not be the last.

“Lagi kaming open sa mga crazy ideas (we’re always open to crazy ideas), so it’s definitely a possibility that we can collaborate with our listeners in the future,” he said.

Here are the song’s lyrics:

Ben&Ben – “Lifetime”


Was there a lifetime waiting for us
In a world where I was yours?

Paper planes and porcelain
Smell of rain through the window pane
and the sight of you
Oh, you were a good dream

I was scared to lose you then
But secrets turn into regrets
Buried feelings grow
Oh, you were a good dream

Was there a lifetime waiting for us
In a world where I was yours?
Was it the wrong time? what if we tried
Giving in a little more
To the warmth we had before

Tangled with another’s eyes
Never mind, you were never mine
glimpse of me and you
Oh you were a good dream

Was there a lifetime waiting for us
In a world where I was yours?
Was it the wrong time, what if we tried
Giving in a little more?
I’d spend a lifetime waiting in vain
Just to go back to the way we were before
Was it the wrong time? what if we tried
Giving in a little more?
To the warmth we had before

Was there a lifetime waiting for us?
All this time, I have been yours

– Rappler.com